


Beneath the Light

by ShadeboundFenrir



Category: RWBY
Genre: Day and Night, Dragon Yang, F/F, Fantasy Creatures, Panther Blake, Transformation, applying a story idea in fanfic form
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23449690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadeboundFenrir/pseuds/ShadeboundFenrir
Summary: (Quarantine project, yay.)Yang Xiao Long was on the way to become a fighter in her town, she would use her transformation as a dragon to protect her loved ones from the Grimm. But when Outcasts invade and she's separated from everyone else, she must team up with a stranger, Blake, to reach Vale and reunite with her family. Maybe something else awaits her in life other than living for the sake of someone else.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	1. The Invasion of Westrip

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, there's a lot of exposition. Damn.

“According to the old stories, the Grimm descended from the pitch black night sky with the intent of destroying everything human.

In their desperation and fear of Death, many people prayed to the Sun, the bearer of Light. In return for their faith, the Light granted them its blessing. They gained the power to ascend into a stronger, more holy, form. And they became the Dierem.

Those that didn’t pray to the Light were those that saw the Darkness inside the Grimm and believed that only that same power could fight them. So they prayed to the Moon, watcher of the Dark, and became able to change form into one that matched that of the Grimm. And they became the Noctei.

However, the human body can’t generate the energy needed for a transformation on its own. Both Dierem and Noctei need the presence of the Sun and Moon, respectively, in order to change forms. Otherwise, they are vulnerable and must take refuge.

It’s in this manner that we have built fortificated cities and established our ways of fighting, which unfortunately includes fighting against each other, Dierem against Noctei.

Does that give you any ideas?”

Ruby and Yang stared at their uncle, Qrow, for a few seconds before Yang spoke up. “Uh, why are you telling us things we’ve learned since 1st grade? I asked if you had any tips that aren’t common knowledge.”

Qrow took a big gulp from a glass of water and cleared his throat. “Yeah, but your father is listening from the kitchen and if I don’t turn this into a classroom lesson,” he made air quotes, “then he’s gonna yell at me. And I’m too hungover for that.”

As if to reassert his presence, Taiyang popped his head from the kitchen and glared at him.

Ruby, bless her, waved at their father with a smile. But Yang wasn't as amused. "Are you turning this into homework?" 

Qrow shook his head, which he immediately regretted. "Ugh… No, it's supposed to make you think. What I've told you is the base for everything. Everyone has different forms with different abilities, uh , so only you can truly know your own strengths and weaknesses. But the one thing we all have in common is…" 

"The time limit."

"Yeah. Even if this is the most obvious weaknesses, don't underestimate it. Know when you can't finish a fight. Especially you flying types." 

Taiyang popped his head again. "You can't always finish an air fight before sunset, no matter how much you believe in yourself."

Yang and Ruby grimaced at the implications. 

Qrow finished his glass. "

“The sun gave you a shitty blessing, really, because it’s harder to see black monsters during the night than during the day. You Dierem got the short end of the stick,” said Uncle Qrow from the corner chair.

“Qrow!” yelled Taiyang as he stood up from the sofa.

Qrow just shrugged at him with a grin. “What? Ruby is 16 and Yang is joining the town’s guardsmen tomorrow. They can handle the truth,” he said, clearly knowing that Tai was referring to the cursing.

Ruby giggled.

Yang cleared her throat before things got out of hand. “C’mon, don’t get off track. Give me real advice, everyone knows we can’t fight at night. 

Qrow stared at Taiyang until he sat back down and then continued. "Well, it's the main weakness that everybody knows, and because of that they can underestimate it. Specially flying types like you over-sized lizards. I've seen idiots break more than half of their bones from falling because they thought they could finish a fight in less than 5 minutes." Tai looked away with a grimace.

Ruby perked up. "So that's why at sunset all fighters are ordered to retreat and set up a defense.”

“Yup. That’s when us, the oh-so-bad Noctei, get called into action to fight at night. At least, that’s how we do it in Patch, other places are more skeptical of the other side, ever since the war.”

Yang remembered all what they’d been taught. If the Dierem had received the blessing of Light, the Noctei had prayed to the God of Darkness for the same power as the Grimm, to fight fire with fire. As the Dierem walked beneath the light of the sun, the Noctei walked beneath the light of the moon.

“So,” Yang reiterated, “aside from ‘how not to fall 50 ft. from the sky’, is there anything else?”

“Not really, that just the most dangerous mistake. I could tell you many things, but they’d only fill your head with noise. You learn better through experience. So just remember all you’ve learned and roll with the punches.”

“I know I learn better by doing, I just… I want to be prepared.”

She had to be able to protect those she loved.

Taiyang spoke, “Well, one of the best preparations for anything is to get a good night’s rest. So why don’t we all go to sleep?”

Qrow stood up and walked to the front door, “Sorry, I gotta deal with shift scheduling tonight.” As he walked away, he could be heard grumbling. “Why am I in charge of it in the first place…?”

Taiyang turned to his daughters, “It’s because he lost a bet he doesn’t remember.”

Yang and Ruby laughed at once, “We know, everyone knows, except for him.”

* * *

On the following day, Yang was given a tour of each of the stations around the perimeter fence of the town.

Her superior was a history nut, clearly, as he went on and on about the procedures and their history. “I’m sure you already heard this from your father and Qrow but I need you to know all of this like the back of your hand. Command is split into sectors and the sectors into guard stations, you’ll be assigned to a station, which you must guard until sunset, time at which you’ll switch with Noctei if one is available, since this is Dierem territory and not many live in here, but I’m sure Qrow told you all that, you’re no stranger to how we work with the Noctei here in Patch. But still, you wouldn’t believe how many mainland Vale people come here for a relaxing island life yet feel so offended by the mere presence of Noctei, I mean, the war was decades ago-”

He got way off track.

By noon, Yang was on her post. Her task for now was to alert the presence of Grimm, to learn the way communication worked. She wasn’t allowed to fight yet. Not that anyone doubted her.

In total, 5 beowolves and a small nevermore were taken care of. 

It was rather uneventful and boring, just showing her the ropes.

“Tomorrow, you’ll get to see some real action. Or perhaps you’ll show us the action.”

Because in the end, everyone knew what Yang was doing in the fighters. She was a dragon, golden, tough, fiery, and endlessly powerful.

She was sure everyone had been waiting for the day were she could fight. And it did kind of piss her off. How everyone just saw her for what they wanted, and how she was just walking into it. But she couldn’t go against it.

The fighters had failed before, and if she could fight, she wouldn’t let it happen again.

For Ruby.

As she started packing up her things, she tried to avoid thinking about it. How scary it was that she was now probably going to be doing this for the rest of her life. She told herself, one of these days she was going to go on a journey, just one. Someday in the future, she’d invite Ruby to someplace in main Vale, Vacuo, or maybe even Mistral, if one day the tension from the war wore off.

“What’s that…?” her superior muttered as Yang picked up her things for the day. "Look, there's people in the forest." 

Yang picked up her binoculars and looked where he was pointing. Glinting in the light, she saw metal protections, worn by people in black clothing, all the same. 

"Do you think they're refugees…?" 

"They could be," he pressed the radio button, "but the could also not. We've got unknowns approaching from the west, station 8. Metal armor, black uniform."

Soon, her father, who was a station away, arrived. “What’s going on?” he asked, and started interrogating the station leader for details. Yang was surprised, she knew her father had a high rank in the village, but seeing him acting like professional was odd when he was a goof at home. There was so much she didn't know about her family. 

And their history. 

Shortly, the radio began sending many replies, "We also see them. The people in armor." 

Taiyang frowned, "what do you mean by also? Are we surrounded?" 

The radio didn't answer the question directly, but it was clear. "All fighters not on shift are being sent as reinforcements. Whether they are Dierem or Noctei, we won't be caught off guard. Await for their arrival, feed us information, and then wait for the order to strike." 

Yang was immediately hit with the realization that her first real fight outside of sparring would probably be with real people. Bandits? A fight to the death? 

As the reinforcement arrived, the radio began updating them. Some of armored people had changed forms, and their hostile intent was confirmed.

Her trepidation grew. She knew that she had to protect this town, she had to protect her family no matter what. But she had only expected to fight monsters, not…

Taiyang, who was in the middle of discussing information with one of the new arrivals, seemed to detect her doubts. "Yang," he started, "you stay here." 

What. "What?" 

She was about to protest when he stopped her with a hand gesture. "This is not me being overprotective. I know…" He sighed. "I know that you enlisted, that even if you just started, you're a fighter. So I won't keep you out of the fight. You're inexperienced, so watch us and be our last line of defense." 

Yang clenched her fists, then looked at him directly. “It’s gonna be hard not to let any through, huh?” She managed a smile.

Taiyang mirrored her expression. “Maybe just one.”

Then the radio shouted. “Enemy has made a move! Begin counterattack! You have thirty minutes until sunset!”

In a second, where her father had stood, was now a long golden dragon the length of an airship. He and the others charged into the people in the forest, who quickly changed forms to retaliate. While the other fighters found themselves locked in combat, Taiyang slithered around their foes, grabbing them and throwing them around, against rocks, against trees, into attacks. The struggle was slowly going deeper into the forest with every move.

Then, a little before sunset, all radios started announcing their victory.

“Well, it seems we got a little overexcited over some stragglers. Why were they wearing uniforms if they weren’t even organized?” Those were the kinds of comments Yang could hear on the radio.

The sun was now gone, and the fighters were returning on foot from the forest with the captured.

“Well,we won just in time,” Yang muttered.

Just as a loud crash was heard from her right. Startled, she looked out of the station and to the fence. There were five people and a huge bull-like creature, which was tearing down the fence.

Yang lunged for the radio. “This is station 3! Enemies are breaking through the fence between stations 3 and 4!”

Qrow’s voice replied. “Bastards drew away our main forces and then came back after sunset! When the Noctei minority would have to fight without support!”

As reports of breached defenses poured in, with far more men than their Noctei fighters could handle, Yang knew she had to act and went straight for the door without waiting for any orders. But a black shadow, a bird the size of a car, intercepted her.

“Yang! Where are you going?!” said Uncle Qrow.

“We have weapons we can use to support the fighters at night! I’m gonna-!”

“The orders are to evacuate! We’re not going to be able to keep them out of town, so go get your sister!”

Ruby. Uncle Qrow and her dad would manage, but her little sister…

Yang dashed into town.

* * *

Rounding the street corner, Yang noticed that not a soul was in sight. Had everyone left already? What about Ruby? She wished she’d taken a radio, but in her rush, she’d left herself uncommunicated. She’d gotten tunnel vision, like always.

She heard footsteps in the direction of the main plaza. It could be people or enemies, but she needed information about her situation. She tried to swallow her impatience and slowly approached from an alley.

Standing in front of the fountain was a man with a mask and red-streaked hair. He was surrounded by the invading forces, talking to them. “This is the first victory of many. Dierem and Noctei have branded us as heretics, punished us for our greater power, but starting with town, we’ll reclaim their kingdoms for ourselves. We’ll show them that in reality, we are the superior ones!”

As the crowd cheerer, the pieces clicked for Yang. These were Outcasts. Those who were said to have committed treason against their God by seeking power from its counterpart, thus being cursed to never being fully human again. They could change forms regardless of the time of day. If she paid close attention, the man with the mask had a pair of horns. And so did many of the other enemies, some had animal ears, some had tails, others had scales.

Yang had to get out of there. If there were no citizens in sight, then the evacuation had been quickly carried out, perhaps they had already started before the fighting began. She took a step back and headed for the east road, towards the port on the other side of the island. Surely they would’ve left in the direction of Vale to ask for reinforcements.

However, at the gate, there were two guards. They were in human form, but they were definitely Outcasts too. She didn’t have any weapons, and fists wouldn’t help her against a large creature. She hid behind a tree and looked around for alternatives. All routes near the fence were wide and wouldn’t hide her. Suddenly, a shadow sprinted by, drawing the guards towards it and away from the fence.

Yang took the opportunity and ran for it.

Barely ten meters out of the town, she was suddenly pulled into the trees, her mouth covered. Yang turned towards the assailant, ready to retaliate, but was met with mesmerizing golden eyes. It was a black haired girl with a bow on her head a finger on her lips, signaling Yang to remain quiet. Feeling no hostility, Yang warily obeyed.

The two guards ran onto the road. “Dammit! Someone just escaped!”

“You said you saw a shadow!”

“So did you, you idiot! We got tricked!”

The looked all around before giving up and returning to their post.

Yang realized she’d been saved by this stranger and so she spoke as soon as her mouth was uncovered. “Thanks, I seriously owe you.”

“It was nothing. You’re welcome.” The girl spoke with a calming voice.

They sneaked away from the gate and stopped once enough distance was covered. As much as Yang suddenly felt like having a chat with her, there were more important things to do. “Are you a traveler? Were you headed for Vale?”

The girl was quiet for a moment. “You could say that.”

She wasn’t talkative, okay. “I need to head towards Vale, where everyone else went,” she should have phrased this as a question; but ,somehow, it came out as a plea. “Come with me.” That was a little weird, let’s elaborate. “Um, did you do that shadow thing?” The girl nodded. “Oh, so you’re a Noctei. It’s ok, my uncle is a Noctei, too. Alright, it’s a few days towards the port from here, and I’m a Dierem, so if we travel together we can cover each other’s weaknesses. Uh… yeah.”

The girl looked like she was thinking while she looked at the tip of her boots. Then she looked up. “Alright.”

“Nice. I’m Yang.”

“Blake.”

* * *

Hours later, back on the plaza, a guard what happened on the east gate to the to his leader.

“Did you say… you saw a shadow...?”


	2. Clearing Clouds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to have this ready around a week after the previous one. But after one week passed, I looked at the calendar and it had actually been like three. Yikes.

Blessings and curses often look the same, Blake knew that.

A power that gives you an advantage over others, but isolates you from them and makes them hate you. A family you love, but to the point where you can’t face them after running away. And now…

A girl who considers you a savior, without knowing you’re one of those that invaded her home.

As they walked quickly through the forests of Patch, Blake subtly kept track of her companion at all times. A habit born from caution that, as things were, further cemented her guilt.  _ She’s the victim here, not you. _ That same guilt that had made accept traveling together instead of running away after making sure the White Fang didn’t kill her. To make up to her? To appease her own guilt?

A soft “hey” brought her back to reality. As she glanced at the girl who called herself Yang, she tried not to tense up. Even though they had been walking for a couple of hours now, her companion had apparently noticed she wasn’t one to chat, so they hadn’t talked much outside of their shared goal.

As their eyes met, Yang’s friendly disposition helped her relax. “Yes?”

“Do you know what time it is?” And rather than point at her wrist, Yang pointed at the sky. At the moon.

Right, she had said her uncle was a Noctei and Patch was known for having a small Noctei population as it was far from the main kingdom. So of course she would know most Noctei can tell the time from the position of the moon. “It’s around midnight already. We’ve been walking for almost 3 hours.”

Yang let out an exaggerated groan and Blake almost felt herself smile at that. “Gods, I wish it was daytime. I could just take us to Vale flying.”

Curious, Blake engaged the other girl in actual conversation for the first time. “You can fly?”

“Ah,” Yang scratched the back of her neck, as if suddenly embarrassed. Was her transformation weird? Did she not like to talk about herself? “Yeah… I’m… I’m a dragon.”

“That’s…” Intimidating. “Impressive.” She said instead, the sense of danger clashing against the bashful expression on Yang’s face. No wonder she didn’t want to say it, it really leaves an strong impression.

“So I’ve been told!” Yang chuckled, then looked off to the side. “Because of that, I was starting as a guard today, it’s something everyone expected from- Ah, never mind. I-” She suddenly fell silent. “Sorry, I’ve been awake all day.”

Blake realized that something was weighing on Yang’s mind, but because they had silently agreed they weren’t going to talk, she was holding back. She was clearly struggling to process the recent events behind a smile.

The guilt started to seep back in. Blake was not the kind of person others should confide in, she… she was not a good person. But… but often just talking aloud helps you think better, so she could at least let Yang know that it was okay to speak.

So she decided she would share a little of herself. “I also wish I could take us to the coast quicker. I’m a shadow panther, but my form is not big enough to carry a person.”

At this, the blonde immediately perked up. “Really? I’ve heard of shadow types... so that’s how you distracted the guards.” Then she flashed a genuine smile, unlike the passive one she had been keeping all along. “Thank you. I said it before, but I really mean it. You saved my life.”

Blake felt a warmth envelop her, one she hadn’t felt in years.

* * *

Yang was overjoyed at finally being able to talk with Blake. While they both had started off quiet, they now talked about all sorts of thing as they walked. Patch and Vale, the books Yang had read to Ruby and that Blake knew as well, and the many places Blake had seen in her travels. Blake really knew all sorts of things, it was admirable.

Dawn caught them off guard as Blake had started ranting about her interpretation of a book, and as the rays of sun momentarily blinded them, Blake seemed to remember their circumstances. Her face reddened a little, probably embarrassed.

It was pretty cute.

However, sunrise meant that soon, they would fly to the coast and their short time together would be over. Yang would be sad when they parted.

_ You sure are getting stupidly attached to someone you just met. _

Trying to shake it off, Yang walked a bit ahead of Blake and turned around with a dramatic flourish. “Well then, now is when I offer you a ride to our destination.” Then she winked, for good measure. “I’ve got plenty of reviews to guarantee the quality.”

Blake rolled her eyes and chuckled. Victory. “All right, let’s see it.”

Yang nodded and, with practiced ease, started backing up while looking at her surroundings. Coast clear. She closed her eyes and started taking in the sun that rose from the east behind her. She felt the fire warm her up from the inside out, towards her head and the tips of her fingers. It expanded more and more until…

She opened her eyes, two meters taller than before, and took in Blake’s amazed expression.

Her companion remembered to close her mouth and stuttered, trying to maintain the conversation. “You- You have…” Blake gestured towards the back of her head.

Yang knew what she referred to, unfortunately. “Feathers, yeah.”

“That’s not very common on dragons…” Blake seemed mesmerized.

“It’s…” A mutation. Because Yang wasn’t a full dragon. No matter how much she wished she was. No matter how hard she tried to forget her father’s expression when she transformed for the first time. And the black feathers and photograph she once found in a box.

“They reflect the sun… it’s beautiful... Ah.” Blake shook her head and locked her gaze on the ground. “Sorry, that was-”

“No- that’s- it’s OK.” Yang was equally embarrassed. Hearing things like that from her family was one thing, but from another person it was… Yeah. “Thanks.”

After a moment of silence, Blake spoke up. “Let’s go.”

And they left it at that.

* * *

_ Dragons are the prime embodiment of the sun, for its fire makes up their souls.  _ That was often said in conversation, mostly when the topic of dangerous enemies came up.

As Blake looked down at her companion, she could confirm for herself the might of dragons. The size of two bears, leathery wings capable of gusts that could knock people down, fangs and claws sharper than swords, horns like small trees but tough like mountains, and scales that sometimes reflected the sun like golds yet were sturdier than steel. Through them, she could feel the fire that everyone feared, one that could surely incinerate anyone to cinders if they were to face it.

However, the softness of the feathers that Blake held onto contrasted sharply against all these things. When she clenched them to shift in place, Yang looked back at her with her fiery eyes, but there was no burning. They were like the gentle spring sunlight that she once felt in a meadow when she had first arrived to Sanus as a child.

“Something wrong?” Yang asked.

Blake shook her head and tried to speak over the wind. “I was just getting comfortable.”

Yang nodded. “Don’t worry, we’re almost to the East Villas in the coast. That where all the vacation homes are.”

Indeed, soon they flew over many small houses made of wood, some pools and some plazas. All with perfect concrete roads. It looked a lot more like the city than the rest of Patch and its rustic towns.

As Blake looked ahead at the sea and the harbor, she noticed small shapes moving.

“Yang, go down. There’s people.” And they could be allies or enemies.

Yang squinted her eyes and tried to spot them, but couldn’t. “You have good eyesight. Could the Outcasts really have outran us?”

“They could use their transformations all night.” She did not comment on the eyesight. An Outcast’s sight was closer to their beast form than to that of a normal human.

Yang glided down to an alley and Blake got down from her. As she looked back at the dragon, she had already shifted back to human form. Then they proceeded to sneak between the houses until they reached the harbor.

From behind a ticket booth they spotted three members of the White Fang. They wore the standard black clothes and metal armor. They were to be easy to wear regardless of how your beast form modified your human form. Blake had ditched them for some cheap clothes and a cloak that she had found in a shop, the kind that wouldn’t be missed after an attack.

Looking at them closer, she could identify their non-human features. Ram horns, claws, spotted ears. At first glance, none of them looked like flying types so maybe they could just fly away. But then as they moved, she noticed they had guns that they likely had stolen from the towns. Yang’s scales would protect her, but Blake… Unless she transformed, she would probably get shot.

_ If that’s what must happen, then might as well let it happen. _

Right, what she had to do was to at least help one person… If only she could at least help one person to make up for running instead of fighting when she heard about his plans… If only...

“Blake.” Yang’s voice brought her back from her thoughts. “Stay here, I’ll scare them off.” As if she had know what Blake was thinking, she smiled and transformed, leaving her behind.

The dragon ran at the Outcasts with a roar. Instantly, gunfire burst out and was promptly incinerated by a wall of flames. A voice shouted out. “See! There was still someone behind!”

Fire still burning between the two sides, they sized each other up. Seeing that guns would do them no good, the White Fang members tossed them aside and began transforming. Yang flapped her wings, putting out the fire and knocking over two of her enemies. The standing one had transformed into a black ram with the structure of a horse.

He quickly tackled Yang, doing no damage but staggering her enough for his two companions to join him. A bipedal hyena and a something that resembled a sloth if it was fast and carnivorous. They started clawing at her in between the scales and biting at her wings . Whenever Yang tried to shake them off, the ram made her lose her balance and fall again.

This was bad. They had noticed that even though Yang could burn them into dust, she wasn’t going to kill them. For an Outcast, specially one in the White Fang, most encounters were a matter of life and death. Be it the Grimm, Dierem or Noctei. The status of heretics meant that just venturing near cities could lead to a “righteous” death.

Yang could only fight them off, but they were going for the kill.

_ If I could save at least one person… If I am to save at least one person… _

Right, this was no time for caution. Blake couldn’t worry about her own well-being if she wanted to redeem herself. Yang was already bleeding from several shallow wounds, all while Blake was selfishly afraid of inciting her hatred.

But she deserved that hatred for letting it get to this point. She closed her eyes and focused on the warmth from the sunlight on her skin as well as the remaining energy her body naturally gathered from the moon at night. They swirled around in a spiral that slowly expanded throughout her body, until her body was more shadow than mass and she could feel the ground beneath her four paws.

She leaped over the ticket booth and as she landed, a shadow shot out from beneath her towards the other Outcasts. The hyena’s eyes opened wide. “You..!” But they were interrupted as Yang took her chance to shake them all off.

The dragon and the panther locked eyes for a second, then Yang rushed towards her.

Blake closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable, but also somewhat relieved that she had finally done the right thing…

She let out a yelp as she felt herself being yanked up into the air. When she opened her eyes, the harbor was slowly getting farther away, the White Fang members yelling out obscenities at them. Yang then gently placed her on her back.

_...What? _

“Thank you. I was in over my head.” What. “I guess you really forget all the lessons when you’re in an actual fight.”

She was thanking Blake. “Why..?” She couldn’t understand.

“You saved me again, what kind of person would I be if I didn’t return the favor?” Yang said it like it was obvious, but…

“I- I’m one of them.” Blake couldn’t hold it back anymore, her guilt. “I could’ve stopped them, I could’ve done something about your town… But I ran.”

Yang nodded in acknowledgment and was quiet for a long while. Maybe she was thinking about dropping her into the sea.

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh?”

“You could’ve gone far away and forget about it all. Shrug it off like it you never had anything to do with it. But you didn’t.” Yang craned her head back and looked into Blake’s eyes, her expression showing a wisdom that didn’t match her age. “I think you were very brave.”

_ Ah… _

Maybe there was still hope for her. This acceptance she had found in the most unlikely place… It allowed her to remember her family with yearning, instead of regret.

_ I guess I’ll go back home at last. _

For once, she was grateful she was able to keep her beast form during the day. If she were human right now, surely tears would be flowing down her face.


End file.
